Two explosion-like incidents were reported within hours in Punjab on Tuesday night, triggering security concerns in the border state.
While a blast was reported near the army cantonment area in Khasa, Amritsar, another incident involving a scooter fire occurred outside the Border Security Force (BSF) headquarters in Jalandhar earlier in the evening. No casualties have been reported in either case.
Amritsar blast near army cantonment
The second incident took place late Tuesday night near the army cantonment area in Khasa, Amritsar district.
Amritsar (Rural) SSP Suhail Mir Qasim said, “We received information around 11 pm that a loud sound was heard on a road in Khasa. Thereafter, our teams reached there immediately.”
He added that preliminary findings suggest an object was thrown towards a boundary wall, triggering the explosion. “Preliminary inspection and analysis showed that someone had come and thrown something towards the boundary wall, leading to an explosion,” he said.
Police teams, including forensic experts and the bomb disposal squad, were deployed to the site to collect samples and examine the area. Superintendent of Police Aditya S Warrier also visited the spot and confirmed that investigation was underway. Army officials also reached the location following the incident.
Jalandhar scooter fire near BSF headquarters
Hours earlier, a separate incident was reported in Jalandhar around 8 pm, where a scooter parked near BSF Chowk caught fire outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters, causing panic in the area.
Police said no one was injured and the area was cordoned off immediately. However, locals claimed they heard a blast-like sound before the fire.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur said, “Prima facie, the facts are that an Activa (scooter) parked here (Jalandhar) caught fire. We are still verifying the facts on the ground.”
She added, “It is too early to say that a blast has taken place, adding that they are carrying out an investigation.” Kaur also said, “We cannot confirm anything at the moment. We are investigating from all angles. If new details emerge, we will share them.”
Police identified the rider of the scooter as 22-year-old Gurpreet Singh. A relative said he worked as a parcel delivery agent and was near his parked vehicle when it suddenly caught fire. “Gurpreet then rang up his father and informed him about the incident,” the relative said.
A forensic team, dog squad, and bomb disposal unit also inspected the Jalandhar site.
Opposition raises law and order concerns
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said in an X post, “A blast in a delivery scooter in a crowded area exposes a serious collapse of law and order. Punjab is a sensitive border state; such incidents raise grave national security concerns. Yet, while the AAP-led Punjab government is busy parading its MLAs before the President, the BJP-led Centre is equally distracted and failing in its responsibility to ensure security. People deserve safety, not political theatre.”
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also questioned the situation, asking, “From the Shambhu railway track to the busy BSF Chowk in Jalandhar, continuous blasts within a week -- has Punjab's security completely failed?”
Investigation underway
Police in both Amritsar and Jalandhar have said investigations are ongoing and have not ruled out any angle at this stage. Security has been tightened in sensitive areas as forensic teams examine evidence from both sites.